Rescue Mission plans to feed hundreds on Thanksgiving

A community feast

Published: Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 16, 2012 at 1:19 p.m.

The director of Hendersonville's Rescue Mission wants the entire community to feel welcome at his table this Thanksgiving.

"This year we are expecting a bigger crowd," said the Rev. Anthony McMinn, director of the mission on Maple Street. "We want people to know it's open to the community for people who are lonely and want a good meal. You don't have to be homeless to get a meal."

Between 200 and 300 people usually partake in the mission's Thanksgiving meal, but the mission prepares enough food to feed 400 guests.

That means the mission will be cooking 26 turkeys and 10 to 15 hams, along with traditional side dishes that include mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

Any leftovers are served at the mission in the days immediately after Thanksgiving.

"There will be a lot of turkey soup," McMinn said.

The mission began in Hendersonville about 30 years ago and has served a Thanksgiving meal for more than 20 of those years.

McMinn relies on a team of volunteers to help prepare and serve the meal each year.

"We have volunteers who come especially for the Thanksgiving meal," he said. "We are so thankful for our volunteers."

One of those volunteers this year will be Wendy Michel, a 38-year-old single mother of four children. Michel and her children spent time not too long ago living in one of the mission's transitional housing units.

"With times being what they were, we hit rock bottom," Michel said of her decision to seek assistance from the shelter.

People at the mission took in Michel and her children and gave them a home to live in while she got back on her feet.

"It's absolutely helped my family tremendously," she said. "The staff and people are wonderful. They made us feel like part of the family."

Michel, who now works at a local grocery store, eventually moved from the mission's transitional housing to an apartment she rents and shares with her children.

She said she has fond memories of the Thanksgiving she spent at the rescue mission and of the warm and friendly people who make it possible.

"It was a good time of fellowship," she said. "They outdo themselves for the holiday season."

Michel said she intends to find time around her busy work schedule this year to help with the mission's Thanksgiving meal. She said she wants to "keep helping them help others."

The rescue mission serves 60,000 meals each year, with 150 to 200 people coming to the mission for a hot meal each day.

Many of the people who come to the mission for meals are people who have homes but struggle to survive on a fixed income.

"They just don't have the money to feed themselves all the time," McMinn said.

In the 20 years he has worked at the mission, McMinn said he has seen the people who need help move from Vietnam veterans coming home from war with mental health and substance abuse problems to the explosion of need created from the rise in crack cocaine and later methamphetamine and prescription drug addiction. People struggling to make ends meet when tough economic times set in a few years ago also brought more demands on the mission.

"The face of homelessness evolves and changes," he said. "The whole dynamic has changed so much. It's really been a struggle."

The rescue mission relies on contributions from churches, civic groups and private individuals to operate. It receives no federal or state funding.

McMinn said he thinks the mission has managed to survive without funding from the government because of its good reputation in the community and its commitment to following the Bible's command to help the poor.

"We are going to love them and tell them God has a plan for them," he said.

For more information about the rescue mission and its Thanksgiving meal, call 697-1354.

<p>The director of Hendersonville's Rescue Mission wants the entire community to feel welcome at his table this Thanksgiving.</p><p>"This year we are expecting a bigger crowd," said the Rev. Anthony McMinn, director of the mission on Maple Street. "We want people to know it's open to the community for people who are lonely and want a good meal. You don't have to be homeless to get a meal."</p><p>Between 200 and 300 people usually partake in the mission's Thanksgiving meal, but the mission prepares enough food to feed 400 guests.</p><p>That means the mission will be cooking 26 turkeys and 10 to 15 hams, along with traditional side dishes that include mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.</p><p>Any leftovers are served at the mission in the days immediately after Thanksgiving.</p><p>"There will be a lot of turkey soup," McMinn said.</p><p>The mission began in Hendersonville about 30 years ago and has served a Thanksgiving meal for more than 20 of those years.</p><p>McMinn relies on a team of volunteers to help prepare and serve the meal each year.</p><p>"We have volunteers who come especially for the Thanksgiving meal," he said. "We are so thankful for our volunteers." </p><p>One of those volunteers this year will be Wendy Michel, a 38-year-old single mother of four children. Michel and her children spent time not too long ago living in one of the mission's transitional housing units.</p><p>"With times being what they were, we hit rock bottom," Michel said of her decision to seek assistance from the shelter.</p><p>People at the mission took in Michel and her children and gave them a home to live in while she got back on her feet.</p><p>"It's absolutely helped my family tremendously," she said. "The staff and people are wonderful. They made us feel like part of the family."</p><p>Michel, who now works at a local grocery store, eventually moved from the mission's transitional housing to an apartment she rents and shares with her children.</p><p>She said she has fond memories of the Thanksgiving she spent at the rescue mission and of the warm and friendly people who make it possible.</p><p>"It was a good time of fellowship," she said. "They outdo themselves for the holiday season."</p><p>Michel said she intends to find time around her busy work schedule this year to help with the mission's Thanksgiving meal. She said she wants to "keep helping them help others."</p><p>The rescue mission serves 60,000 meals each year, with 150 to 200 people coming to the mission for a hot meal each day.</p><p>"We serve breakfast, lunch and dinner," McMinn said. "The kitchen is always running."</p><p>Many of the people who come to the mission for meals are people who have homes but struggle to survive on a fixed income.</p><p>"They just don't have the money to feed themselves all the time," McMinn said.</p><p>In the 20 years he has worked at the mission, McMinn said he has seen the people who need help move from Vietnam veterans coming home from war with mental health and substance abuse problems to the explosion of need created from the rise in crack cocaine and later methamphetamine and prescription drug addiction. People struggling to make ends meet when tough economic times set in a few years ago also brought more demands on the mission.</p><p>"The face of homelessness evolves and changes," he said. "The whole dynamic has changed so much. It's really been a struggle."</p><p>The rescue mission relies on contributions from churches, civic groups and private individuals to operate. It receives no federal or state funding.</p><p>McMinn said he thinks the mission has managed to survive without funding from the government because of its good reputation in the community and its commitment to following the Bible's command to help the poor.</p><p>"We are going to love them and tell them God has a plan for them," he said.</p><p>For more information about the rescue mission and its Thanksgiving meal, call 697-1354.</p>